Chapter 571: I'm Here to Clear the Field
The sounds of gunfire, clashing metal weapons, rumbling cannons, and the shouts and screams of battle—these noises interwove to form the symphony of the battlefield.
Aokiji's Ice Age had not only frozen the seawater surrounding the archipelago but had also affected the water surfaces within the island cluster. These scattered bodies of water, some perhaps dozens or even hundreds of meters deep, others only reaching knee level, were now all without exception frozen solid into ice, providing the geographical conditions for the battle between both sides.
*Puff!* Bartholomew Kuma's Ursus Shock spread through the pirate crowd like a storm, and behind him, Sentomaru led the Pacifistas into the fray.
There were eight Pacifistas in total, walking side by side. Some opened their mouths, others extended their hands, releasing beams of laser light one after another, blasting fire and explosions everywhere.
With these Pacifistas as the vanguard, a large number of Marine soldiers advanced steadily behind them, attacking the forces of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Moria had brought along quite a few zombie soldiers. On the icy surface, these undead troops could finally be put to use. These unkillable beings instilled great fear in some of the pirates who didn't know the truth.
The Marine Headquarters' Giant Vice Admirals became the spearhead force, swinging their heavy, massive weapons, sweeping recklessly through the crowd. Little Oars Jr.'s body was still frozen in place, and the pirates suffered considerable losses at the hands of these towering Giant Vice Admirals.
The combined forces of both sides, nearly 150,000 men, were scattered across an area several miles in radius, fighting fiercely.
Marco, Vista, and the other stronger division commanders were now tied up by the three Marine Admirals, unable to break away to help. They could only watch helplessly as the pirates were steadily pushed back.
Akainu Sakazuki's right arm transformed into rolling, scorching magma, and he punched toward Marco, shouting at him, "Marco! Why hasn't your pathetic old man shown himself yet? Could it be that he's turned into a coward and run away out of fear?"
"Shut up! Don't you dare insult the old man!!" Marco kicked hard against Akainu's magma fist. Though he successfully deflected Akainu's punch, his foot was also incinerated by the magma.
But that was fine. Marco's flames had regenerative power. The blue flames rose from his leg and quickly restored his foot.
"Is that not the case?" Akainu tilted his head and said darkly to Marco, "You talk as if you care about your family, but where is he while his sons are being killed one after another!?"
"Enough!" Marco, enraged by Akainu, charged at him and punched him square in the face.
Akainu's neck twisted from the blow, and he staggered, nearly falling. But as Marco pressed his attack, Akainu's left fist suddenly shot out, transforming into a smoking magma hound that opened its massive jaws and bit down on Marco's abdomen.
"Dog Bite Red Lotus!"
This was the move that gave Akainu his epithet. Struck by the magma hound, Marco spat out a mouthful of blood and was knocked to the ground.
Akainu walked over, grabbed Marco by the neck, and hoisted him up.
Blood dripped from Marco's mouth, but he spat a wad of saliva at Akainu, saying, "If you hadn't despicably used Blackbeard Teach to ambush the old man and leave him too injured to fight, would you still be spouting nonsense here?"
Akainu ducked to avoid Marco's spit, but remained unmoved by Marco's furious accusation. "The victor writes history. Whether it's despicable or not isn't for you to decide!"
With that, Akainu raised his other hand, his magma fist poised to smash down on Marco's head.
But just then, the corner of Akainu's eye caught something, and he paused, looking up toward the sky above.
Seeing Akainu's reaction, Marco froze for a moment as well, then also looked up.
High in the sky above, a small black dot was plummeting straight down toward them.
"Who... who is that?" From a distance, Marco couldn't see clearly, only vaguely making out what seemed to be a human figure.
Was this figure suddenly falling toward them friend or foe?
Akainu, however, quickly realized it. Based on the information Aokiji had relayed earlier, this plummeting figure was most likely Ian!
"So you came after all!" Akainu said coldly. "Hmph, here to see Whitebeard one last time?"
It wasn't just Akainu and Marco who noticed the figure falling from the sky. Aokiji, Kizaru, Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, Doflamingo, Boa Hancock, and Hawk-Eye all saw it too.
"..." Doflamingo and Hawk-Eye both stood with their arms crossed, watching in silence.
"Ian!?" Boa Hancock excitedly rose from Salome's back.
"He really came!" Sengoku couldn't help but slam his fist against the ship's railing, looking up at the sky. "How did he appear? I don't see the flying ship!"
"Ian..." Garp looked at the figure with a complex expression, lost in thought.
Under everyone's gaze, the plummeting figure, just before crashing into the ground, suddenly spread a pair of enormous black flame wings, halting its rapid descent and slowly floating downward.
The people of the world watching the war live through the Video Den Den Mushi also saw this scene at once.
For a moment, even the noise of the entire battlefield fell silent. The Marines and pirates locked in battle stopped their actions, staring blankly at this figure that had suddenly appeared on the battlefield.
Tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on a single person, creating a suffocating tension in the air.
But Ian, the bastard, landed without a care and waved at Marco, greeting him, "Yo, Marco, I'm here! Long time no see, but it looks like you're in a pretty bad state!"
When he appeared, Akainu had already let go of Marco, standing with his fists clenched, watching Ian silently.
"You..." Marco looked at Ian in disbelief. "Why are you here!?"
No wonder. When Ian attacked Impel Down, it was exactly when the Whitebeard Pirates had fallen into the Marines' trap, so Marco and the others hadn't paid much attention to the news. Naturally, they didn't know Ian's movements.
Even Ace, after hearing Aokiji's question, only deduced Ian's arrival through the Vivre Card...
In short, no one in the entire Whitebeard Pirates had ever imagined Ian would show up!
In their view, Ian wasn't part of the Whitebeard Pirates and even held the title of Warlord. It would have been good enough if he didn't help the Marines attack them.
"Damn, isn't that obvious?" Ian rolled his eyes at his overreaction. "Did you think I'd just watch you guys fight and do nothing?"
"Ha... hahaha!" Marco was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"I actually came earlier!" Ian sat cross-legged in the air, pointing at the sky above with some frustration. "I even had Fujitora use his Observation Haki to try and locate the old man's position, but even he couldn't find him. So I had to come down and ask you!"
"The old man is hidden in a cave on the island!" Marco explained with a smile.
"No wonder!" Ian slapped his thigh in realization. "Damn, that was a pain. I wanted to sneak in and see the old man, but look at this—now I'm being watched by everyone!"
The entire battlefield was silent. Everyone's mouth hung open as they watched Ian and Marco chatting and laughing as if nothing was wrong. Their minds struggled to process the scene.
Are you kidding me? Akainu is right in front of you, and you're treating him like he doesn't exist!?
"Kid, you're Ian, right?" Akainu was also irritated. He lifted his Marine cap slightly with his hand, tilting his head with a displeased expression. "I heard you escaped from Marine Headquarters while I was away!? Since you ran, why didn't you find a hole to hide in? What are you doing here?"
"Ah! Admiral Sakazuki!" Ian pretended to just notice Akainu, greeting him, "Hello, hello. Nice to meet you. Sorry, I was chatting too enthusiastically with Marco and didn't notice you were here. But not to criticize, eavesdropping on others' conversations is really bad form!"
Akainu ground his teeth in anger. His fists immediately began to smoke, turning into dark red magma. "Sharp tongue. Since you're here, I might as well take you down right here. Let me see what's so special about your ten-billion-berry head!"
As he finished speaking, two figures suddenly appeared nearby. Kizaru and Aokiji had also arrived, flanking Akainu on either side, all three facing Ian.
"Ian, you can't escape this time!" Aokiji said, hands in his pockets, his body radiating chilling cold. He frowned seriously. "This time, don't think you can use that hypnotic trick to get away!"
"Young people are too reckless; they'll eventually hit a wall!" Kizaru spoke slowly. "But to be taken down by the three of us in front of billions of people, you'll die a worthy death..."
*Hiss!* Everyone present, both Marines and pirates, couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath at that moment!
Was this... the three Marine Admirals preparing to take him on together!?
On the distant warship, Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at Sengoku in astonishment. "Isn't that a bit too much?"
"No!" Sengoku shook his head. "That kid Ian is worth that level of attention from the Marines. Back on Sabaody, Aokiji and Kizaru teamed up and couldn't even scratch him. Even though I called them back midway, to prevent any more surprises, we need to use all three Admirals to take him down as quickly as possible with overwhelming force!"
Marco and the others had also snapped back to reality. Vista, who had fought Kizaru earlier; Jozu, just recovered from being frozen; Brachman; Rakuyo; Namur—these Whitebeard Pirates division commanders quickly gathered beside Ian, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, facing the three Marine Admirals.
The atmosphere on the battlefield was tense to the breaking point. Every muscle was taut, ready for the imminent clash.
Just then, Ian suddenly clapped his fist into his palm. "Ah! Right, I remember now. Besides asking about the old man's location, I have another mission!"
Everyone was stunned, confused by Ian's sudden change of topic, but also curious about what other mission he had.
Then they saw Ian land on the ground, look around, and note that the lines between pirates and Marines were still fairly clear. He nodded, drew the Thousand Cherry Blossoms from his waist, and let go of the blade, which sank into the air and vanished.
Final Release!
Countless cherry blossom petals danced in the air. Kizaru, who had seen this move before, immediately raised his leg, a flash of light appearing on his foot, ready to deliver a light-speed kick at Ian.
But Ian suddenly looked up, and the illusion of the Evil Eye Master appeared on his forehead, allowing countless people watching the live broadcast to see the strange phenomenon on his body.
"I'm actually here to clear the field!" Ian said with a light laugh.
Ignoring Kizaru's incoming light-speed kick, he crossed his hands and placed them above his head.
"Let everything return to nothing..."
With Ian's whisper, the next second, a blinding, massive light suddenly erupted from the sky, illuminating the heavens...